Students and staff are campaigning for Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs cleanersÔÇÖ wages to be raised from the National Minimum Wage to the Living Wage.
The nationwide Living Wage Campaign was launched by Citizens UK, an alliance of civil organisations and citizens; their Welsh division Citizens Cymru Wales are bringing Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs Living Wage campaign onto their agenda.
The majority of the universityÔÇÖs cleaners, some of whom have been working at the institution for over twenty years, are hired by external contractors like Integrated Cleaning Management and Supacleen. The university currently do not have a policy to pay contracted staff the Living Wage.
A Cardiff University spokesman said: ÔÇ£The setting of a base living wage does not recognise the full breadth of employment benefits enjoyed by staff. It only looks only at base pay and ignores other benefits offered by employers, such as enhanced paid holiday, a final salary pension scheme, occupational sick pay when staff are sick.ÔÇØ
However, as cleaners are not employed directly by the university, they do not directly benefit from the institutionÔÇÖs policy.
Some cleaners have been told that their wages will be increased to the Living Wage as of January 2014, although neither the university nor any of the contractors have confirmed this.
The current National Minimum Wage for adults is £6.31, and the Living Wage as of 2013 is £7.65. It is calculated by Loughborough University every year according to the minimum amount of money required for a worker to have a good quality of life, and to raise their family.
Cleaners at the university do not feel that the National Minimum Wage is proportional to the work they do. With the majority working night shifts from 10PM until 6AM, the work is physically tiring, takes place in unsociable hours without extra financial compensation, and unrewarding. One cleaner, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his job security, said: ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs never-ending. You get no end result…this is one of them thankless jobs.ÔÇØ
For those who are completely free of debt, the National Minimum Wage allows cleaners to rent small studios, and live with constant worries about their financial circumstances with everyday matters like insurance and groceries. For those with pre-existing debt, their wages are insufficient to cover their living costs and the money owed.
Jonathan Cox, Lead Organiser at Citizens Cymru Wales, said of the benefits of the Living Wage: ÔÇ£The difference is between surviving, and living. ThatÔÇÖs why itÔÇÖs called the Living Wage. This is what you need, as a human being, to live with decency and dignity in Britain, and also to be able to enjoy those things that make life worth living.ÔÇØ
He also said that ÔÇ£We are keen for all organisations to consider paying a living wage, and while we understand that that is not necessarily a swift or easy process for all organisations, we would love to see progress with universities.ÔÇØ
A Cardiff University spokesman said that the Living Wage might appear to be affordable for employers now, but because it is set by social consensus, it could lead to increases employers are unable to afford in the future. ÔÇ£An organisation can only remain signed up as a Living Wage employer if it agrees to implement whatever rates that organisation may decide to publish.ÔÇØ
Following on from Living Wage Week on November 4th, Citizens UK are organising an Annual Celebration and 2014 Planning Event on Wednesday December 4th, where cleaners will be giving personal testimonies and the Living Wage campaign will be planned. The event is open to anybody who would like to get involved.
Sum Sze Tam
News Writer
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